The Importance of Being Earnest marks a central moment in late-Victorian literature, not only for its wit but also for its role in the shift from a Victorian to a Modern consciousness. The play began its career as a biting satire directed at the very audience who received it so delightedly, but ended its initial run as a harbinger of Wilde’s personal downfall when his lover’s father, who would later bring about Wilde’s arrest and imprisonment, attempted to disrupt the production. In addition to its focus on the textual history of the play, this Broadview Edition of Earnest provides a wide array of appendices. The edition locates Wilde’s work among the artistic and cultural contexts of the late nineteenth century and will provide scholars, students, and general readers with an important sourcebook for the play and the social, creative, and critical contexts of mid-1890s English life.

Welcome to the perfect study guide! This special edition contains edits specifically aimed at assisting readers in understanding the classic text, preparing students for examinations, or providing lesson plans for teachers. This book is ideal for readers in high school, college, or otherwise seeking an easier understanding of a classic text. Original additions include: * Lessons and activities designed to foster understanding at key points in the story and at critical chapters. * In-text notes immediately explaining difficult or archaic vocabulary, plot developments, and social concepts. * In-text summaries and reminders of major actions, plot points, and characters. * In-text rhetorical questions. * Sample essay questions at the end of each chapter. As an educator, I believe that older works of literature must be introduced into new generations. This belief has guided my editing of the original source material. Enjoy this classical piece of literature with an appreciation fostered by greater understanding and insight!

Oscar Wilde’s infamous wit, taste for scandal, and gift for revealing the hypocrisies of fashionable society are on display here in this collection of his finest plays. A genius both of and ahead of his time, he built his craft on the eternal questions of right and wrong—with pithy dialogue as fresh today as when it was written. In addition to Wilde’s five major plays, this Signet Classics edition contains: • Two interviews with the playwright at the peak of his career, in which Wilde discusses his work—and his critics • Some of his most brilliant critical writing, in which he discusses the nature of art in terms that anticipate much of today’s literary theory • An appendix that restores valuable lines that appeared in the original text of The Importance of Being Earnest With an Introduction by Sylvan Barnet and a New Afterword by Marylu Hill

Gwendolen thinks that she loves Ernest. Cecily thinks that she loves Ernest too. But who is Ernest really? What kind of man is he? Read this funny play and laugh. Or act it to your friends and they will laugh. This is a wonderful play by one of the greatest writers of his time.

The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wilde offers an essential introduction to one of the theater's most important and enigmatic writers. Although a general overview, the volume also offers some of the latest thinking on the dramatist and his impact on the twentieth century. Part One places Wilde's work within the cultural and historical context of his time and includes an opening essay by Wilde's grandson, Merlin Holland. Part Two looks at Wilde's essential work as playwright and general writer. The third group of essays examines the themes and factors that shaped Wilde's work and includes Wilde and his view of the Victorian woman, Wilde's sexual identities, and interpreting Wilde on stage. The volume provides a detailed chronology of Wilde's work, a bibliography for further reading, and illustrations from important productions.

Adapted and abridged by Harold G. Sliker Characters: 5 male, 4 female This is a skillfully condensed, two scene adaptation with all the flavor of the original. Earnest is a convenient excuse for Jack Worthing whenever he needs to avoid social responsibilities -- but then Earnest seems to take on a life of his own! Minimum of ten copies required for production. ONE-ACT

The Importance of Being Earnest is both Oscar Wilde's most important and funniest play. As the subtitle suggests there is more to this play than it's farcical nature suggests. Wilde calls into question the nature of identity while poking fun at proper British manners and the aristocracy. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

A Short Guide to Writing about Theatre is a succinct introduction to the skills required to write knowledgeably and critically about the theatre. Intended to illuminate the importance of theatre and performance in daily life, A Short Guide to Writing about Theatre engages students with dramatic material as they learn the practical elements of review, analysis, criticism, and research.

Enriched Classics offer readers accessible editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and commentary. Each book includes educational tools alongside the text, enabling students and readers alike to gain a deeper and more developed understanding of the writer and their work. Wilde’s classic comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest, a satire of Victorian social hypocrisy and considered Wilde’s greatest dramatic achievement, and his other popular plays—Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband, and Salome—challenged contemporary notions of sex and sensibility, class and cultural identity. Enriched Classics enhance your engagement by introducing and explaining the historical and cultural significance of the work, the author’s personal history, and what impact this book had on subsequent scholarship. Each book includes discussion questions that help clarify and reinforce major themes and reading recommendations for further research. Read with confidence.

It's chaotic - a bit of love, a bit of lust and there you are. We don't ask for life, we have it thrust upon us. Written by Shelagh Delaney when she was nineteen, A Taste of Honey is one of the great defining and taboo-breaking plays of the 1950s. When her mother, Helen, runs of with a car salesman, feisty teenager Jo takes up with a black sailor who promises to marry her before he heads for the seas, leaving her pregnant and alone. Art student Geoff moves in and assumes the role of surrogate parent until misguidedly, he sends for Helen and their unconventional setup unravels. A Taste of Honey offers an explosive celebration of the vulnerabilities and strengths of the female spirit in a deprived and restless world. Bursting with energy and daring, this exhilarating and angry depiction of harsh, working-class life in post-war Salford is shot through with love and humour, and infused with jazz. The play was first presented by Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal Stratford, London, on 27 May 1958.